CU-1C-1986-16 Cud

Description

Authentication of cud varieties requires distinguishing genuine die breaks from post-mint alterations, and CU-1C-1986-16 on the 1986 Philadelphia Lincoln Memorial cent must pass the same scrutiny applied to all purported cuds. A genuine cud exhibits several diagnostic characteristics: the raised area shows metal flow consistent with the striking event, with smooth contours where planchet metal filled the die void under uniform pressure. The boundary between the cud and the adjacent design is typically sharp on the side where the die fracture occurred and may show a slight step or shelf where the broken die edge meets the intact die face. Crucially, the surface of a genuine cud carries the same luster and texture as the coin's original strike — it was formed simultaneously with the rest of the coin during the minting process. Counterfeits or post-mint additions, by contrast, may show solder marks, adhesive residue, tool marks from applied metal, or surface texture inconsistent with a struck coin. Under magnification, the flow lines within a genuine cud radiate outward from the center of the void in a pattern consistent with metal being compressed into a cavity, rather than metal being built up onto an existing surface. CU-1C-1986-16 is cataloged under its Cuds on Coins designation. Struck at Philadelphia on copper-plated zinc planchets at 2.5 grams and 19mm.

Attribution History

• Discovered by Alan English
• CU-1C-1986-16
• Expert attribution by Cuds on Coins

External References